Lantern hanger



Sept. 12, 1967 H. T. HONIG LANTERN HANGER Filed se t'. 2, 1965 INVENTOR Her ry T. Honig 6 L2 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiiice 3,341,163 Patented Sept. 12, 1967 3,341,163 LANTERN HANGER Henry T. Honig, 5330 Royal Lane, Dallas, Tex. 75229 Filed Sept. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 484,573 6 Claims. (Cl. 248291) This invention relates to supports and more particularly to a support for hanging a lantern exteriorly of a boat.

An object of this invention is to provide a lantern hanger for a boat which is adapted to hold a lantern in a tilted position exteriorly of the boat whereby the light from the lantern is cast upwardly toward the boat and downwardly on the water whereby the lantern does not cast a glare into the eyes of the occupants of the boat and any insects attracted by the lantern are drawn to a location remote from the occupants of the boat.

Still another object is to provide a lantern hanger which is adapted to hold a lantern exteriorly of the boat to attract insects to a location remote from the boat and over the water whereby insects drawn to the lantern tend to fall into the water and attract fish.

Still another object is to provide a lantern hanger having a rod adapted to extend outwardly of a boat, the rod having means at its outer end detachably securing the bail of a lantern thereto and a means secured to an intermediate point of the rod for securing the base of the lantern to hold the lantern in a tilted or angular position relative to the horizontal.

A further object is to provide a lantern hanger which positively prevents loss of the lantern.

A still further object is to provide a lantern hanger having a support bracket securable to a boat, a hanger rod whose inner end portion is securable to the support bracket securable to a boat, a hanger rod whose inner end portion is securable to the support bracket and whose shank extends angularly upwardly therefrom and is provided at its outer end with means for releasably securing the hail of a lantern thereto and a means extending downwardly from an intermediate location on the rod shank engageable with the base of the lantern for holding the lantern in a tilted position.

Still another object is to provide a lantern hanger wherein the catch at the outer end of the rod shank does not permit outward movement of the bail relative to the rod shank to prevent accidental disengagement of the lantern bail from the rod shank and consequent loss of the lantern.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the reading of the following description of a device constructed in accordance with the invention and reference to the accompanying drawings, thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the lantern hanger secured to the side of a boat and holding a lantern in tilted position;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the lantern hanger;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top view of the outer end of the rod shank of the lantern hanger;

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the support bracket of the lantern hanger; and,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the support bracket of the lantern hanger clamped to a post of a boat.

Referring now particularly to'FIGURES l, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, the rod holder embodying the invention includes a support bracket 11 having a planar middle or web portion 12 which may be secured to the inner surface of the gunwale of a boat B by any suitable means, such as screws 13 which extend through suitable apertures of the web into the gunwale. The bracket has top and bottom flanges 15 and 16 which extend outwardly in the same direction from opposite ends of the web and are provided with vertically aligned square apertures 17 and 18 through which the vertical bottom end portion 20 of the hanger rod 21 may extend. The rod is also square in cross section so that the end portion 20 when in the apertures cannot move about its vertical axis.

The shank 22 of the rod extends upwardly at an angle of approximately 30 degrees from the bend portion 23 of the rod and outwardly of the gunwale of the boat. The outer end of the shank portion of the rod is provided with a recess 24 in its top surface and an elongate spring clip 25 extends inwardly from the outer end of the rod shank and overlies the recess. The spring clip has an intermediate upwardly curved portion 27 which provides a downwardly opening recess 28 which is aligned with the recess 24 of the rod shank. The spring clip extends at an angle to the top surface of the rod to rovide an opening or throat 30 therebetween which opens inwardly toward the boat. The spring clip is secured to the rod shank by a drive screw 31 which extends into a suitable vertical bore of the rod shank. The spring clip is preferably provided with an end portion 34 which extends angularly downwardly from the outer end of the spring clip and abuts the outer end surface 35 of the rod shank. The end portion 34 serves to properly position the spring clip on the rod during its assembly thereon and also holds the spring clip against dis-placement on the rod preventing rotation of the spring clip about the shank of the screw 31.

The bail 38 of the lantern L may be inserted through the throat 30 into the aligned recesses 24 and 28 of the rod shank and the spring clip, and the inner end portion of the spring clip flexing resiliently upwardly to permit its insertion between the clip and the top surface of the rod shank, and into the recesses 24 and 28. The spring clip moves downwardly to hold the bail in the recesses.

The upper end of a chain 40 is secured to a drive screw 41 which may be driven into a suitable transverse bore of the rod shank intermediate its ends and its lower end is provided with a hook 42 in which is receivable the bottom flange 43 of the base 44 of the fuel reservoir or tank 44 of the lantern.

A double hook 45, which is of substantially S-shape or configuration, has one hook end 46 permanently secured to a link in the chain 49. The distance between the screw 41 and the book 42 is varied to adjust the angle 'of tilt of the lantern L by interconnecting the other open book end 47 with a chain link above or below the hook end 46. It will be apparent that the chain links are detachably secured to the open book end 47 so that the distance between the screw 41 and the hook 42 is instantly adjusted by disengaging the link from the hook and then engaging the hook with another link.

In use, the bail 38 of the lantern may be releasably secured to the outer end of the rod shank 22 by moving the upper portion of the bail 38 over the outer end of the rod shank 22 and inwardly of the inner end of the spring clip and then moving the bail outwardly through the throat 30 into the recesses 24 and 28. The spring clip moves upwardly to permit such movement of the bail into the recesses and then moves downwardly to hold the bail therein. The hook 42 on the chain may be then moved into engagement with the bottom flange 43 of the lantern to hold it in a desired tilted position. The lantern and the rod so assembled may then be mounted on the boat by inserting the vertical end portion 20 of the rod 21 through the vertically aligned apertures 17 and 18- of the flanges 15 and 16 of the support bracket 11 which was previously secured to the gunwale.

Downward movement of the vertical end portion through the apertures is arrested when the portion thereof adjacent the bend portion 23, which is distorted due to the bend engages the top flange 15. The rod shank 22 then extends upwardly and outwardly of the side of the boat and the lantern is held in the tilted position illustrated in FIGURE 1. If desired, of course, the rod may first be secured to the bracket and the lantern then mounted on the rod in the manner described.

The light of the lantern is now directed downwardly of the lantern and also upwardly but is not directed directly back into the boat but upwardly relative thereto so that the light does not shine directly on the occupants of the boat, and any insects attracted thereto are drawn to a location located exterior of the boat and its occupants. Any insects which fiy about the lantern and which inadvertently fall into the water attract fish to the location to the boat. In addition, the light itself which is being emitted downwardly to the water attracts the fish to the boat.

It will be apparent that the lantern cannot be lost regardless of the position assumed by the boat as it moves in the water since the spring clip prevents outward movement of the bail. Should any accidental force drive the bail inwardly on the rod and disengage the chain hook 42 from the bottom flange 43 of the lantern, the bail of the lantern will merely slide on the rod shank toward the boat if the rod is tilted upward and will be held against disengagement from the rod by the engagement of the lantern with the outer side of the boat.

Should the boat move to such a degree that the rod extends downwardly outwardly from the boat, the bail slides outwardly on the rod shank and will again enter into the throat 30 of the spring clip to be received and held in the recesses 24 and 28.

It will be apparent that the degree of tilt of the lantern may be adjusted as desired by increasing or decreasing the number of chain links in the loop 48 and that, if desired, the support bracket 11 may be secured to the outer surface of the side of the boat.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 5, the support bracket 11 may be secured to a post P of a boat or barge merely by disposing a pair of usual radiator hose clamps 51 and 52 about the clamp and the post and tightening the clamps to rotating their screws 53 and 54 cause the clamp to hold the support bracket rigid with the post.

It will now be seen, therefore, that a new and improved lantern hanger has been illustrated and described which includes a support bracket securable to such structure of the boat as its side or gunwale, or a post thereof, and a rod whose vertical end portion is insertable through the apertures of the flanges of the support bracket and whose shank extends upwardly and outwardly of the boat.

It will further be seen that the vertical end portion 20 of the rod and the apertures 17 and 18 being square in configuration the vertical end portion 20 of the rod may be secured to the bracket in any one of four positions to cause the rod shank to extend outwardly of the support bracket in any one of four directions as desired or required by the position in which the bracket is secured to the boat.

It will further be seen that the rod is provided with a means, such as the spring clip 25, for releasably securing the bail of the lantern thereof adjacent its outer end and with a means, such as the chain 40, for holding the bottom end of the lantern whereby the lantern may be held in a tilted position exteriorly of the boat Where it is not in the way of the occupants of the boat and does not cast a light directly into their eyes.

It will further be seen that the angle or tilt of the lantern may be adjusted by adjusting the length of the chain, as by means of the double hook 45 whose hooks 46 and 47 may extend through spaced links of the chain to form a loop 48 thereof, the greater being the separation between the links which are engaged by the hook portions, the shorter the chain and the more nearly horizontal the position of the lantern.

It will further be seen that the rod is easily disengaged from the bracket so that the hanger may be placed in the boat.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, and changes in the details of the construction illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A lantern hanger including: a support bracket securable to a boat; a rod having a vertical end portion securable to the bracket and a shank portion extending angularly upwardly from the upper end of the end portion; a spring clip secured to the top end portion of the shank portion and extending inwardly thereover, said shank portion and said spring clip having aligned recesses for receiving the bail of a lantern therein to be held thereby; and a chain having one end secured to the shank portion intermediate its ends and having means at its lower end thereof for holding the bottom of a lantern.

2. The lantern hanger of claim 1 wherein said chain has hook means securable simultaneously to spaced links of the the chain for adjusting the distance between the rod and the bottom of the lantern.

3. A lantern hanger including: a support bracket securable to a boat; a rod having a vertical end portion securable to the bracket and a shank portion extending angularly upwardly from the upper end of the end portion; a spring clip secured to the outer end portion of the rod shank and extending inwardly thereover, said shank portion and said spring clip having aligned recesses for receiving the bail of a lantern therein; and a flexible member having one end secured to the shank portion intermediate its ends and having a hook at the lower end thereof for holding and engaging the bottom of a lantern.

4. The lantern hanger of claim 3 wherein said flexible member is a chain; and hook means securable simultaneously to spaced links of the chain for adjusting the distance between the hook and the rod.

5. A lantern hanger including: a support bracket having a web and top and bottom flanges extending perpendicularly from opposite ends of said web, said web being securable to a boat, said flanges having vertically aligned apertures, a rod having a vertical end portion receivable in said apertures and a shank portion extending angularly upwardly from the upper end of the end portion; a spring clip secured along the upper edge of the outer end portion of the shank portion and extending inwardly thereover; said shank portion and said spring clip having aligned recesses opening toward each other for receiving the bail of a lantern therein; and a flexible member having its upper end secured to the shank portion intermediate its ends and having a hook at the lower end thereof for engaging and holding the bottom of a lantern to position said lantern at an angle with the vertical with said bottom facing said boat.

6. The lantern hanger of claim 5, wherein said flexible member is a chain; and hook means securable to spaced links of the chain for adjusting the distance between the hook and the rod.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Hall 248289 X ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

CLAUDE A. LEROY, Examiner.

R. P. SEITTER, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,341,163 September 12, 1967 Henry T. Honig It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, lines 33 to 35, strike out "a hanger rod whose inner end portion is securable to the support bracket securable to a boat,".

Signed and sealed this 15th day of October 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer 

1. A LANTERN HANGER INCLUDING: A SUPPORT BRACKET SECURABLE TO A BOAT; A ROD HAVING A VERTICAL END PORTION SECURABLE TO THE BRACKET AND A SHANK PORTION EXTENDING ANGULARLY UPWARDLY FROM THE UPPER END OF THE END PORTION; A SPRING CLIP SECURED TO THE TOP END PORTION OF THE SHANK PORTION AND EXTENDING INWARDLY THEREOVER, SAID SHANK PORTION AND SAID SPRING CLIP HAVING ALIGNED RECESSES FOR RECEIVING THE BAIL OF A LANTERN THEREIN TO BE HELD THEREBY; AND A CHAIN HAVING ONE END SECURED TO THE SHANK PORTION INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS AND HAVING MEANS AT ITS LOWER END THEREOF FOR HOLDING THE BOTTOM OF A LANTERN. 